Break Out of the Sagittal Plane

by Jake Lott, Coach

​Traditional weight lifting exercises like the squat, and deadlift, along with a myriad of presses and pulls are great for building strength that will no doubt transfer into other realms of your functional fitness. But they are often limited in range to the sagittal plane (think forward and back), which limits the strength you build to that range of movement.

As great as it is to lift heavy things in specifically controlled ways, real life is often less accommodating.  Having the coordination to transfer power laterally (frontal), and rotate (transverse) through your hips can be invaluable to building your overall strength.

Unconventional tools, and exercises like the land mine hip toss cover a wider range of motion. They're great for preparing yourself for a lifetime of useful movement that you wouldn't normally be exposed to with a typical routine. You can train for movements that tax your body's strength at all angles by doing movements that combine static resistance throughout your core, while your hips generate an immense amount of power accelerating and decelerating in various planes.

Check out the video below to learn the ins, outs, and modifications necessary to introduce new planes of motion into your next workout!